Pallet



Oct. 11, 1960 w. c. GEORGE 2,955,791

w. c. GEORGE 2,955,791

PALLET Filed Feb. l5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG] l Flcs /2/ 2,

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United States Patent PALLET Walter C. George, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Crown Zellerbach Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Filed Feb. 15, 1957, Ser.No. 640,368

Claims. (Cl. 248-120) My invention is related `to pallets for use with fork trucks in the handling, shipping and storing of materials in industrial operations.

It is wel-l known, in industrial operations, to stack various materials on pallets and thus transfer the materials by means of -fork lift trucks for storage and shipping. The pallets commonly used at the present are either constructed of comparatively heavy and expensive materials such as wood 'and metal, or of light weight materials such as paperboard for expendable type pallets.

My invention is directed to a pallet which is of light weight and comparatively inexpensive, yet has adequate strength and durability to allow its reuse many times. My improved pallet comprises a lightweight deck member of corrugated paperboard or the like to which la plurality of wooden slats are afjxed to the under face thereof in atwise relation. A plurality of corrugated paperboard spirally wound posts or supporting members, the upper portion of which are indented to 4receive the slats, are yadhesively secured to `the slats and deck member. I have found that this new and novel arrangement and combination wherein the posts are indented to receive the wood reinforcing slats results in a strong rigid pallet resistant to lateral thrusts inherent in fork truck operations which, While inexpensive, has a relatively long and useful life.

An object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive, light-weight wood :reinforced paperboard pallet which has adequate inherent strength to be used many times.

A further object is to provide a pallet wherein the supporting members or posts are indented to receive Wood reinforcing slats thereby insuring `adequate strength aganist lateral thrusts inherent in industrial fork truck operations.

Still .another object is -to provide a knocked down pallet which may be readily assembled by the user by use of a suitable adhesive such as sodium silicate.

These Iand other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full and complete understanding of the construction and operation of the device as hereinafter set forth.

Y 'The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and like numerals and symbols therein appearing refer -to like parts Wherever they occur.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view, partly broken away, of a pallet embodying the preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation View ofthe pallet shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view from the underneath side of the pallet shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but show-ing a slight modification of the pallet of my invention;

Fig. 5 isa View similar to Fig. 3, but showing still another moditication of the pallet of my invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 6-6 -in Fig. 1;

rifice" t.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows 7-7 in Fig. 5; A

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken in the d' ection of the arrows 8 8 in Fig. 5;v A h Fig. 9 is a perspective View of a die indented spirally wound leg used in the preferred form of the invention;

Fig. l() is a perspective view of a slight modification of the indented spirally wound leg;

Fig. 1l is a perspective view of still another modification of the indented spirally wound leg;

Fig. 12 is a front elevation view of the indented spirally wound leg shown in Fig. 9; and

Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the indented spirally wound leg shown in Fig. 9. Y

The improved pallet 20 shown in Fig. l has 'an elevated plane platform or deck member 21 comprising a lla-t sheet of solid or corrugated paperboard. 'llhe deck member 21 is reinforced by va plurality of parallel wooden slats 22, at least two of which are positioned adjacent opposed sides of lthe deck, secured in la suitable manner to the underface ofthe said deck 21. The pallet is permanently elevated by a series of die indented spirally Wound corrugated paperboard posts'23 lsecured thereto as best shown in Fig. 9. The posts 23 have a Ihollow core -of less diameter than the radial w-all thickness, thus providing -a substantial supporting member of great compressive strength.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a slight modification to the pallet shown in Fig. l wherein additional wood reinforcing slats 26 are disposed in perpendicular and abutting relation to the first mentioned reinforcing slats 22. These modifications also require where the slats 26 abut the slats 23 a diierent type of indentation for the paperboard posts 24 and 25 as shown -in Figs. 10 and ll. The indentation may be accomplished by means of a die which compresses and compacts the indented portions of the paperboard 28 leaving =a cleanly sheared Wall 27 as best shown in Figs. 12 and 13.

In the use of the improved pallet, the Weight of the materials placed Ithereon lis evenly distributed to the sup'- porting members by the reinforcing slats so that objectionable -sagging of the deck is prevented and further the supporting members will not push upward into the load, even though the paperboard deck member may be subjected to high relative humidity or a substantial amount of moisture.

It will be understood that changes in detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope of my invention, and I intend lto include all su'ch variations, as fall within the scope of the appended claims, in this application for Letters Patent.

I claim:

l. A pallet comprising a at deck member, a plurality of spaced, rigid reinforcing slats adhesively secured at least in part to the underface thereof and supported at spaced -intervals by a plurality of spi-rally wound, hollow core corrugated paperboard supporting members of appreciably greater diameter than lthe width of said slats, the upper face of said members being vertically indented to substantially ithe thickness of said slats over -a horizontal `area suicient to enclose the overlying portion of said slats and adhesively secured to said sla-ts, the marginal portions of the upper face of said members adhesively secured tothe underface of said deck members, forming a rigid pallet structure resistant to lateral and other thrusts incident to service.

2. The combination set forth and cl-aimed in claim l wherein at least two of the lreinforcing slarts are positioned at the opposed end margins of the -at deck member and an intermediate reinforcing slat positioned parallel thereto.

3. The combination set` forth and claimed in claim 2,

lan andY abutting relationintermediate the first mentioned plurality of slats. Y

,4., fiheombination setforth .and claimed in laim 2, wherein six additional slats are vposviticmedjiitlkzpeipendicuf Iyar and labutting relation intermediate the {i1-st mentioned plurality of slats. Y Y Y 5. -The combinationV as set vforth and claimed in claim 1 wherein the corrugated paperboard supporting members are substantially cylindncai- -and have a hollow core of less diameter than the radial wall thickness thereof.

' UNITED vSTATES PATENTS Lehrman Oct. 5, 1948 Yaman Ian. 3, 1950 Newson Feb. 22, 1955 Frase V TV.. Mar. 13, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 19, 1934 

